Video games and such

Rare to Restructure, Jobs May Be Lost

According to Microsoft, UK developer Rare is undergoing a review that may lead to job losses.

As part of the organizational refocus announced by Microsoft Game Studios in January, Rare will now have to focus on the following, according to a statement by Microsoft:

These are: “1) Expand the Xbox 360 customer base by delivering experiences that allow our customers to interact with our content in new and innovative ways”, “2) Better support efforts to extend the appeal of Xbox LIVE as a social entertainment network to drive greater adoption across the Xbox 360 customer base” and “3) Continue delivering AAA gaming experiences that excite both our current and future customers”.

It seems as though Rare is already helping Microsoft by bringing Banjo Kazooie to the Xbox 360 and designing the new avatar system for Live.

The statement also says: “As we restructure to successfully execute against our shared strategy within this framework, we will be implementing a new approach to current projects in the pipeline that could serve as an industry-wide model for how to achieve a more efficient and scalable development process. In order to achieve these goals, the company is reviewing the current composition of its development teams and there is the possibility that a small number of current positions could be lost as a result of these changes.”

Studio manager Mark Betteridge adds that the studio has also felt the need to restructure, saying “With four projects recently underway, now is the right time to make this change.”